The Apostle Paul says in Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.”

There are many forces that come against God, our faith and living a Christian life as best we can. After last weeks resolution of one  denominations long standing precepts of its belief based on Biblical reason and interpretation, concluded in exposing what I would call the other elephant in the room… The marginalizing of the Authority of Scripture is having a negative effect on the power and strength of God’s word. We no longer understand or consider that while God has only our best in mind, there are also demands of the faith that we are held accountable for… or to be blunt, we serve a God that demands our obedience. We often fail to be obedient due to the fact that we try to meet life in our own strength and forget to seek the help and to remember the presence of our protecting God. I have been overly repetitive but I don’t believe it is said enough… christians must know what they believe and why. You must have a strong relationship with God and one of the ways, of which there are many, is scripture. Have a question, problem that is taking you down, need advice, you get the picture…scripture is where you will find what you need and to find peace in the turmoils of this world. God communicates to us through the scriptures and through His Spirit, you can gain confidence and strength to press forward through any obstacles you face. Perhaps the most important reason to study the scriptures is that they teach about Jesus Christ and how you can follow His example and teachings. Certain things about our faith can be hard to accept or be entirely opposite of the social norms, which seem to change to accommodate the desires and standards of society in general, often challenge the authority of scriptures thus causing disobedience to God’s will for his people. 

The hard part… The Bible says, authority is to be submitted to and respected. This is hard for many of us to understand as there are those who rule or preside over others in a cruel and unjust manner. 

Romans 13:1  

 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

This is indeed a hard teaching, but is bolstered by Romans 13:2…

So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 

Now there is a rational argument to this for those who disagree with it. Could be said that this applies to kind and just rulers and they are no threat to those who do the right thing. One key to understanding scripture is not get into the habit of searching through scriptures until we find one that agrees with our thinking. There are some scripture such as, 1 Peter 2:15 and 17-21 that are confusing to many of us. These are difficult passages and when taken out of context can raise questions among the faithful.  

The biblical definition of the word authority is understood and used to describe the power or ability to do something given by, conferred upon, or derived from a higher authority. It is the warrant, right, power, or ability to do something.(Wikipedia)

Many of the Biblical Patriarchs and Prophets were given God’s authority to do something or carry out the instructions given them by God. 

What is the biblical principle of authority? It is that the Bible is authoritative and useful in guiding matters of Christian practice because it represents the word of God.

The Church today has Marginalized the Authority of 

Scripture and there is a warning here we should heed.It is imperative that we recognize the Bible is authoritative and that it holds the final word; not science, human experience, or human reasoning. Scripture Should always have the final word. 

Life is Good

jk